The Power of Innocence
by Data Girl 3
Summary: Sequel to Beyond the Thirteenth Hour. The Agnostic, the strange force that lay siege to the Labyrinth years ago, has returned once again. To save the Underground, it must be stopped, once and for all. The question is, how?
1. A Cry For Help

It was a warm, clear sunny day in Kent, Ohio when twenty-year-old Sarah Williams looked out her bedroom window, just letting her mind wander. She was currently home for the summer months after completing her sophmore year at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, but she was not that excited about it. Even after three years of living in this town with her family, she had no attachment to it. A large part of her couldn't wait to return to school, just so she could get out of this town again. In fact, she only came back to Kent for the summer to spend time with her six-year-old brother, Toby. He was the only reason Sarah returned to Kent at the end of every school year, since spending time with him was worth putting up with her step-mother, Irene, who always made it clear that she didn't approve of Sarah's aspiration to be an actress.

Sometimes, Sarah couldn't stop herself from wondering if Kent would be more inviting if she'd really bothered trying to make friends here, but at the same time, she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. Once she graduated from her school and got an acting job, she had no intention of remaining here, and would be moving to a place of her own without hesitation. Having friends here in Kent would only make the move harder.

In fact, there was only one person Sarah had actually became friends with in Kent, and that had been Stacey, whom Sarah had met after her first day at Theodore Roosevelt High School. However, it had been nearly three years since Sarah had last seen Stacey, along with her other friends, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, Theseus, and Daedalus. The reason for their length of absence from Sarah's life was that they didn't live in Kent. In fact, they didn't even live in this world at all. Stacey and the others were all from the Underground, a magical world that Sarah had visited on two occasions. On her last visit to the Underground, Stacey had given her a magical pendent that she could use to travel to and from the Underground any time she wanted, but so far, Sarah had kept herself from using it. It turned out that when she went to the Underground last time, she had been gone from her world for nearly four days. When she'd returned home, she'd found that her father and step-mother had actually called the police to report that she had been missing, and had probably run away. Sarah wanted to avoid a repeat of that experience, and had so far kept herself from using her pendent to visit her friends in the Underground. Although, she still often found herself wondering what her friends were doing, and if they missed her as much as she missed them.

At that moment, the bedroom door opened and Toby stepped in, carrying his favorite teddy bear, Lancelot.

"Hi, Sarah," Toby grinned happily climbing onto Sarah's bed.

"'Lo, Toby," Sarah returned his smile, stepping over to her little half brother to ruffle his curly hair. "What's going on?"

"Mom went out shopping," Toby announced. "You're supposed to watch me again."

"I guess I should have expected that," Sarah sighed to herself. That was probably the only reason Irene wanted her around for; watching Toby. On the plus side, Toby was at that age when he tried to act like a big kid, which meant that he rarely cried anymore.

Turning, Sarah started to look through the jigsaw puzzles she kept on her shelf, searching for one that would interest Toby, but as she was searching…..

"Sarah!" Sarah's back stiffened, her eyes widening. That had been Stacey's voice. She was sure of it. When she turned to look around her room, however, all she saw was Toby looking back at her. One look at his face told Sarah that he'd heard Stacey's voice, too.

"Stacey?" Sarah called out, still looking around the room and trying to figure out where Stacey's voice had came from. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the Goblin Princess anywhere.

"Sarah!" Toby suddenly cried, pointing at the small television that sat atop Sarah's dresser. There, on the television screen, was the image of Stacey, her face greatly distressed.

"Stacey!" Sarah gasped, hurrying over to the television. Stacey's image was very hazy, and when she spoke, her voice kept fading out, making it sound like a bad radio signal.

"Sarah!" Stacey's voice rang out urgently. "Sarah, Tob…. Underground…. danger!"

"Stacey, what's wrong?" Sarah exclaimed, clutching the edge of the dresser in worry.

"We ne….elp," Stacey continued. "Ple….ome back!" With that, Stacey's image completely fizzled out and was lost.

"Stacey, wait!" Sarah cried, now extremely worried. For a long moment, Sarah continued staring at the black screen, hoping that Stacey's image would appear again.

"Sarah?" Toby asked hesitantly, sliding off the bed.

"Something's wrong," Sarah whispered, turning back to her brother. "Stacey sounded like she was in real trouble. I have to go back."

"Back to the Underground?" Toby's eyes widened. Sarah had told him all about her adventures in the Underground as bedtime stories, and he always loved hearing about that other world. "But Sarah, what about Mom and Dad? Last time you were there, they were really scared when you were gone." Sighing in exasperation, Stacey grabbed a pen and ripped a clean page from a notebook, writing a hasty note.

"There," Sarah announced, placing the note on the foot of her bed. "I've told them not to worry, and I'll be back soon. Toby, I need to go. Stacey, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, Theseus, Daedalus. My friends might be in trouble. I have to help them, now!" As Sarah talked, she slid open her drawer and carefully took out the silver pendant Stacey had given her, but as she held it in her hand, Toby grabbed her arm.

"Sarah, I wanna come, too!" he begged, looking up at her beseechingly.

"Toby, you can't!" Sarah shook her head. "You're too…"

"I'm a big kid!" Toby announced stubbornly. "I wanna help Stacey, too!" Sarah took a long moment to think. This wasn't a good situation for her. She was so worried about her friends in the Underground; she almost completely forgot that she couldn't leave Toby alone in the house. On the other hand, she couldn't just wait around for Irene to return home, either, not when her friends were in trouble. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was no other choice. She had to take Toby along.

"All right," Sarah reluctantly gave in. "Give me your hand." The moment Toby was holding her hand, Sarah held out her pendant, closing her eyes and making the wish to return to the Underground. Almost instantly, Sarah and Toby disappeared, leaving the empty room behind.


	2. The Underground's Plight

**AN:** I wanted to post this Sunday night, but the stupid glitch made that impossible. Anyway, hope you all enjoy. Please read and review.

* * *

Within the Underground, Sarah and Toby materialized on the hill overlooking the Labyrinth. It was only a few seconds before Sarah realized how cold it was. The moment the chill in the air registered, she looked around in shock. Everything around them was covered with snow and ice. What was even more shocking was that the snow where they were standing had to be at least 18 inches deep.

"What happened?" Sarah voiced her shock at the terrible weather around them. It was at that moment that a particularly frigid wind blew by, making everything seem even colder than it already was. With a small whimper, Toby hunched up, trying to keep warm while shivering against the snow. Filled with concern for her younger brother, Sarah bent down and gathered him up in her arms.

"Sarah, it's too cold," Toby moaned, still shivering.

"I know, Toby. I'm cold, too," Sarah replied. "Well, we can't stay here. We need to find some place to get warm." Keeping Toby tucked firmly against her in an attempt to shield him from the bitter cold, Sarah started to shuffle off.

"Cu…Chu?" Sarah stopped in her tracks at hearing the familiar sound.

"Theseus?" Sarah turned towards the voice. Sure enough, Theseus the gremlin was standing behind her, his yellow fur heavily caked with snow. However, his large black eyes widened with happiness upon seeing Sarah.

"Cu-CHU!" Theseus cried, scampering over to rub against Sarah's legs in greeting.

"It's good to see you, too, Theseus," Sarah laughed, smiling down at the gremlin. "Where are the others?" Theseus smiled happily and started heading off down the hill with Sarah following close behind. Very soon, Theseus had led Sarah to a small wooden cottage located in what had once been the gardens outside the gate to the Labyrinth. Beneath the crack under the door, Sarah could make out the flickering light that usually came from a blazing fire. Knowing that fire meant warmth, Sarah carefully lowered Toby to the ground so she could knock on the door. She only had to wait for a few seconds before it opened, allowing her to be welcomed by the sight of Hoggle standing inside the cottage.

"Sarah!" Hoggle cried in joy. "You've came back!"

"It's good to see you, too, Hoggle," Sarah smiled at her friend as he stepped aside to usher everyone into the cottage. Looking around, Sarah caught sight of her other friends, Ludo, Prometheus, and Sir Didymus, gathered around a fire that was burning in the stone hearth. All three of them greeted Sarah warmly upon seeing her, with Ludo budging over to allow room for her and Toby by the fire. Theseus, not waiting for an invitation, had already curled up in front of the fire like a pet cat. As Sarah sat down, she took notice of a female fox she recognized as Lady Berdine, whom she had met very briefly on her last visit, sitting next to Sir Didymus. Lady Berdine was cradling something in her arms, and when Sarah took a second to get a better look at the bundle, she saw that it was a baby fox, fast asleep.

"Lady Sarah," Sir Didymus beamed upon noticing Sarah looking at the baby fox, "may I present to you Reynard."

"In other words," Prometheus spoke up, "Didymus and Berdine's newborn son."

"Oh, congratulations!" Sarah cried, grinning at the two foxes.

"Thank you, Lady Sarah," Lady Berdine nodded. "I just wish he was born in a time that wasn't so dangerous." The moment she said this, Sarah remembered the harsh weather outside the hut.

"Hey, guys, what happened here?" Sarah asked her friends. "I know I've only been here two times in the past, but everything's covered in snow. That can't be normal weather, can it? I mean, it's summer back in our world."

"I'm afraid it is bad, Sarah," Hoggle confirmed, offering her and Toby bowls of soup. "The seasons in the Underground have always mirrored the ones in your world. But I think it's better if you wait until Stac…I mean, _Princess_ Stacey arrives. She's with Daedalus right now, reinforcing the enchantments protecting this hut. As the Goblin Princess, she naturally knows more than the rest of us."

"I've told you before, Hoggle, my friend." As if on cue, Stacey had appeared in the doorway of the hut, the owl Daedalus perched on her shoulder. She was currently fixing the dwarf with a gentle but tired smile. "I always tell you everything as soon as I learn it. I have no secrets, Hoggle. Especially not from you."

Once again, Sarah felt a smile stretch across her face upon seeing another old friend. Stacey looked exactly as she remembered, with the exception of her hair. While it had been left as its natural blonde, silver highlights had been applied to the golden tresses.

Suddenly checking herself, Sarah started to bow respectively, but Stacey held up a hand to stop her.

"No, Sarah," Stacey smiled in partial amusement. "There's no need for the formalities. I come here to the Border Garden all the time just to get away from it. As I'm constantly reminding Hoggle, bowing and calling me things like 'Princess', 'Highness', and 'Majesty'; that's not necessary. I'd much rather all of you to continue calling me Stacey. That's who I was first, and that's who I'll be forever."

"Okay," Sarah agreed, stopping in mid-bow and respecting her friend's wishes. Instead, she greeted her with a friendly hug. "It's really good to see you, Stacey. I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Sarah," Stacey agreed as the hug ended. "And in response to your questions, it began over half a year ago. We were working on preparations for a festival to celebrate the Labyrinth's completion generations ago. That's when the snow began to fall. For a while, no one worried too much about it. After all, it was around that time when snow usually fell in the Underground, so it was seen as perfectly normal. But six months went by, and there was no change in the weather. The sun stopped shinning altogether, and the snow on the ground never melted. It was as if we were stuck in an endless winter. To make matters worse, two weeks after we began to think something was wrong, denizens of the Labyrinth started disappearing without a trace, almost as if they were simply erased from existence. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, we're probably the only ones left by now. Everyone else is gone, including the entire goblin army and Prometheus' friends. Even Ambrosius has gone missing."

"No," Sarah gasped in shock, looking around the cottage. Was Stacey right? Was the small handful of beings in the hut all that was left? "That can't be true."

"I'm afraid it is, Sarah," Daedalus spoke up. "I myself saw it happen once. I was off hunting mice in the Labyrinth, and happened to meet up with the Wise Man who lives outside the hedge maze. One moment he was there, and I looked away for just a moment. When I glanced back, he'd vanished completely. And I know the Wise Man couldn't just run and hide somewhere in that small amount of time that I looked away. His advanced age prevents him from moving anywhere fast enough."

"Can we help?" Toby suddenly asked, speaking for the first time since arriving in the Underground.

"I don't know, Toby," Stacey bowed her head, sounding completely defeated and hopeless. "I don't even know what we're up against. Not bad work for a princess, huh? I'm Goblin Princess for barely a year, and I can't even stop something like this from happening."

"It's not your fault, Prin... sorry, Stacey," Hoggle stepped in, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "_No one_ could have prevented it, and you're doin' what you can. After all, you were the one who cast the protective spells over this cottage, to keep the rest of us from disappearin' as well."

"Sir Hoggle is right, my liege," Sir Didymus agreed. "And ye have even been working at bringing all the scrolls from yon castle's archives, to try and find some information on what has been happening." As he spoke, Sir Didymus gestured to the corner of the cottage, where a large pile of scrolls resided. Before Stacey could respond to her friends' supportive words, the door creaked open, letting in a frigid breeze and a female dwarf in a simple olive green dress entered the cottage. Without any hesitation, she stepped over to Hoggle and hugged him tightly.

"Hello, Hoggle," she gushed.

"Uh, hello to you too, Primrose," Hoggle replied, patting her back. "But what were you doing out there, anyway? You know that you might disappear as well if you leave the cottage."

"Aw, were you worried about me?" Primrose smiled, squeezing Hoggle's arm affectionately. "I was only trying to help by seeing if there was anyone else left besides us."

"Sarah, Toby, this is Primrose, a newcomer to the Labyrinth," Stacey introduced briskly. "She appeared at the gates of the Labyrinth shortly after your last visit to the Underground, Sarah, and she's been living here ever since." Noticing something in Stacey's tone, Sarah chanced a look at the Goblin Princess to see she was eyeing the two dwarfs in badly masked irritation. Daedalus must have noticed it too, for he chose that moment to speak.

"Primrose, come join us for the soup," he invited. "There are still plenty of scrolls we haven't gotten around to examining. Once all of us have been fed, I think we should all try to pitch in as we search them. Hopefully, with all ten of us working together, we'll be able to find something much quicker. And the sooner we know exactly what's going on, we'll be able to come up with a way to stop it."


	3. Another Plan of Action

**AN:** Sorry this took so long. I've been facing a huge writing slump lately. Hopefully, it's over, but I can't promise anything. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter, and kindly leave your reviews. I live off knowing what people think of my stories.

* * *

It wasn't much later that everyone was congregated around the fire in the hearth, scouring the scrolls from the castle's archives over bowls of hot soup. While they were reading, Primrose struck up a conversation with Sarah.

"It is very nice to finally meet you," Primrose smiled. "Hoggle and his friends have told me all about you, and I am delighted to finally be able to put a face with a name."

"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Primrose," Sarah retuned the greeting. "What brought you to the Labyrinth, anyway?"

"The fact is, Sarah," Primrose explained, "most dwarfs, like me and Hoggle, usually live in villages. For most of my life, I lived in one up by the mountains. But two years ago, my village was traveling to pay a visit to another dwarf village located in the valleys. Unfortunately, I was separated from the rest of my village during our travels. I wandered for days, completely alone, until I was fortunate enough to find myself at the Labyrinth. I do sometimes think about trying to return to find my village, but everyone here has been very kind to me, and offered me a place to stay. Besides, I rather like living here. After all, it's where Hoggle lives." In emphasis to these words, Primrose hugged Hoggle's arm affectionately, fixing him with a sweet-as-honey smile.

"Not to interrupt your charming moment, Primrose," Stacey spoke up, her voice carrying a strong hint of annoyance, "but these scrolls aren't reading themselves. Personally, I'd appreciate it if you concentrated on helping the rest of us reading." Once again, Sarah glanced over at the Goblin Princess and noticed that she was blatantly not looking at the two dwarfs, with a definite crease between her eyebrows. Hoping to change the subject, Sarah asked the question she'd wanted to ask for a while.

"Stacey, did…did you ever find out where Jareth went after the last time I was here?" Stacey's reaction to that question was the exact opposite of what Sarah had been expecting. The Goblin Princess' face immediately darkened with an expression of anger and hate, and her hands clenched into fists.

"Don't talk to me about that man," Stacey growled. "I don't know what happened to him. In fact, I don't even _care_ what happened to him."

"But…Stacey, he's your fath…."

"NO!" Stacey cut Sarah off before she could finish. "That….monster was _not_ my father." At that moment, a sudden gust of wind outside blew a window open. The harsh expression remaining on her face, Stacey momentarily stepped away from the group to close it.

"You mean Stacey still won't acknowledge Jareth as her father?" Sarah asked her friends in a whisper.

"I cannot say I blame the princes, my lady," Sir Didymus explained. "Princess Stacey is very angry with the former Goblin King. Do not forget, Princess Stacey grew up knowing nothing about where she came from. And then to find out the father of her birth had enslaved everyone in the Labyrinth?"

"But…from what he told her last time," Sarah persisted. "It sounded like…Jareth wasn't in control of what he was doing. So, Stacey's judging him on something he couldn't help doing. How can she say he's not her father if she doesn't even know him?"

"Ah, maybe that's the true problem, Sarah," Daedalus pointed out, glancing over at Stacey sympathetically. "She never got the chance to know him."

As Sarah thought about Daedalus' statement, Toby paused while reading one scrolls, scrunching his face up as he reached an unfamiliar word.

"Sarah?" Toby looked up at his sister. "What does this word mean?" Taking the scroll, Sarah quickly found the word that had stumped the little boy and her eyes widened.

"Stacey?" she called over to her friend, her voice shaking. "You said that…the Underground has been facing an endless winter, and a number of disappearances, right?"

"Yeah, did you find something about it?" Stacey asked hopefully.

"It's…it's the Agnostic," Sarah whispered. Everyone's reactions were instantaneous. As they stared at Sarah in horrified shock, she read the account on the scroll to her friends. "When the Agnostic invaded the Labyrinth, its presence disrupted the very existence of the Underground. Under its assault upon our world, many of the inhabitants of the Labyrinth were erased from existence, and even nature itself became warped."

"This is not good," Daedalus clicked his beak in worry. "If the Agnostic really has returned to the Labyrinth, we truly are in serious danger."

"But how did you beat it back then?" Toby asked in curiosity.

"It wasn't beaten, Toby," Hoggle replied gravely. "The Agnostic just disappeared, after Princess Stacey was taken into your world."

"Then why is it back now?" Prometheus pointed out. "After all this time, it could have come back earlier. It's been nearly twenty years since the last time. Why now?"

"Because…I came back to the Goblin City!" Stacey gasped in realization. "It's the only explanation! It wants me!"

"With all due respect, your majesty, that's just ridicu…" Sir Didymus started to dismiss Stacey's fears, but Daedalus cut him off.

"Maybe it's not, Didymus," the owl disagreed. "Last time, the Agnostic was trying to destroy everything in this world."

"And in the game of chess," Stacey continued, "once you capture the King, the game is over. Since…since I'm the closest thing to a king in the Labyrinth now…. There's only one solution. I have to leave the Underground. If the Agnostic wants me, then it's sure to follow."

"If...if Stacey wrong?" Ludo asked.

"I'm not, Ludo," Stacey shook her head. "I can feel it. I have to go back to Sarah and Toby's world. At least for a little while. If I do, everyone left in the Labyrinth might have a chance until I can come up with a better plan in how to deal with the Agnostic."

"Ye are returning to the other world?" Sir Didymus spoke in amazement.

"I have to. It could be the only chance we have."

"If you're goin' back," Hoggle stood up, "then I'm goin' with you."

"Hoggle, no!" Primrose cried, jumping up to hug him tightly. "Don't go! Please, stay with me! I don't want to stay here without you!"

"Primrose," Hoggle sighed, ushering her away from the group to talk to her in private.

"She's always acting like that," Stacey complained, grumbling in irritation. "You'd think that Primrose could find better things to do with her time than hang all over him like flies on a carcass." Folding her arms, she turned her back on the two dwarfs, making a clear effort to not look in their general direction.

"Ye can count me in on your quest as well, your majesty," Sir Didymus volunteered.

"Ludo come too," Ludo agreed.

"Cu-Chu!" Theseus added with a wide smile.

"I made a promise a long time ago that I'd keep watch over you, Stacey," Daedalus announced. "I see no reason for me to stop now."

"I'd like to go see this other world, too!" Prometheus admitted.

"Actually, Prometheus," Stacey shook her head. "I really think you should stay here. Remember, someone has to stay behind and look after Lady Berdine, baby Reynard and Primrose while we're gone. I know you can do it, Prometheus. I trust you with this."

"Well," Prometheus' face deflated, showing his discouragement at not being allowed to come along, "if that's what you think, Stacey, then I won't let you down."

"Thank you, Prometheus," Stacey smiled, patting the Firey's shoulder. "And don't feel bad, okay? When this is over, we'll all bring you to Sarah and Toby's world as well."

With Stacey's promise, Prometheus' disposition lightened significantly. Moments later, while Sir Didymus was bidding farewell to his wife and infant son, Hoggle rejoined the group, along with a crestfallen Primrose.

"Hoggle's right," she admitted sadly. "I know he has to leave. But…I'll really miss him."

"We'll be back soon, Primrose," Hoggle assured the female dwarf. In response, Primrose threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Okay, enough goodbyes," Stacey groaned, bristling with impatience. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can figure out what to do about the Agnostic." Pulling himself out of Primrose's embrace, Hoggle joined the group of volunteers around Sarah and Toby. Removing the medallion from her pocket, Sarah made the wish to return to Kent, Ohio. Within moments, the eight friends disappeared from the hut.


	4. Returning Home

**AN: **Yes, readers, I'm still alive. And I am very sorry about my prolonged absence. Other projects have been far too distracting.

Anyway, here's the next installment to this story. And I hope you'll forgive the product placement. (If there are any company executives reading this, I expect my endorsement check in the mail very soon :D )

* * *

Somewhere in Kent, Ohio, Stacey, Sarah and the others materialized along the bank of the winding river. One-by-one, the eight friends got to their feet and began looking around.

"Everyone still in one piece?" Stacey asked, turning to the others in concern.

"It looks like everyone's present and accounted for," Sarah noted, smiling over at her other friends from the Underground, who were taking in their surrounding.

"So, this is your world, Sarah?" Hoggle asked.

"Yeah, whaddya think?" Toby grinned.

"Everything in this kingdom is so green!" Sir Didymus voiced his observations. "But what exactly is yonder garden used for? There are no flowers or plants of any sort." Sarah, Stacey and Toby looked over in the direction Sir Didymus was pointing in to see a diamond shaped patch of grass and dirt.

"That's a baseball field," Sarah realized. "We must be in Fred Fuller Park."

"What baseball?" Ludo asked.

"It's a game that's very popular in this world," Stacey explained. "The point is to hit a fist-sized ball with a ba… with a club, then make a lap around the field before the opposing team…um, I guess it's a little hard to explain it without a game going on. Maybe, when this mess with the Agnostic's over with, we can show you guys a game. Hey, Daedalus, remember how every July, Wayne and I would come down to watch a game here after a dinner of burgers and lemonade, after which we would go watch the fireworks together?" Daedalus responded with a high whistling cry.

"Oh, dear," Sarah sighed, looking at the owl in sympathy. "We're sorry, Daedalus. We forgot you loose your ability to speak English in this world." Daedalus clicked his beak and puffed his feathers, as if to say '_don't worry about it_.'

It was at that moment that Sarah's watch started to beep, indicating that it was five in the evening.

"Sarah, Mom'll be making dinner soon," Toby stated, lightly tugging on Sarah's arm.

"Yeah, we probably should start making our way to the bus stop," Sarah agreed. "I remember the bus that goes by our place stops close to Wayne's house, too."

"Um, Sarah, first thing's first," Stacey spoke up. "I really think we should figure out what to do with the guys. Some of them _probably_ won't blend in very easily here."

"What's the problem? We can just pass off Sir Didymus and Thesues as a pair of stuffed toys, and…oh. Ludo." Sarah grimaced as she took in the size and appearance of the yeti.

"Yeah, Ludo," Stacey nodded. "I can't see your mother being thrilled if she sees him at your place. And I really don't think him coming with me is a good idea, either. Wayne's house is way too small for him. Even I have to bend over to fit through the front door."

"My clubhouse!" Toby cried excitedly. "He can stay in my clubhouse!"

"That's a great idea!" Sarah agreed. "I've seen his clubhouse. It's definitely big enough for Ludo to fit comfortably inside."

"Hey, thanks, Toby," Stacey grinned at the young boy.

"What about Sir Hoggle?" Sir Didymus asked.

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea for him to come to Wayne's house with Daedalus and me," Stacey answered. "After all, Wayne and Hoggle are roughly the same height, so I can see Hoggle being comfortable there."

"Okay, it's settled," Sarah nodded. "Ludo can stay in Toby's clubhouse, Sir Didymus and Theseus will pose as stuffed toys, and Hoggle will go with you. We'll meet tomorrow to start planning what to do about the Agnostic."

"Sounds like a plan," Stacey agreed.

* * *

Toby carefully moved around the side of the Williams family's house, doing his best to avoid being seen. When he reached the front of the house, he met up with Sarah, who had been waiting behind the hedge with Sir Didymus and Theseus.

"I got Ludo into my clubhouse," Toby announced proudly. "I don't think Mom and Dad saw me."

"That's good," Sarah sighed in relief, passing Theseus over to Toby. "Okay, remember, Sir Didymus. You and Theseus need to pretend to be stuffed toys when our parents are around. That means keep still and no talking."

"Ye can count on me, my lady," Sir Didymus insisted.

"Cu-Chu!" Theseus smiled in agreement. Accepting their promises to not give away their true identities, Sarah and Toby made their way up to the front door. Before they opened it, however, Irene stepped out to meet them, looking very cross.

"Sarah, where were you?" she demanded. "You were supposed to be watching Toby while I was shopping."

"I _was_ watching him," Sarah replied, forcing herself not to snap back. "We just went out for a bit. You never said anything about not leaving the house together. And I left a note up on my bed saying I'd be back as soon as possible."

"And where exactly did you go?" Irene questioned with her hands on her hips.

"A friend of mine…called me up," Sarah explained. "I needed to go and help her with something."

"_What_ friend? The only friends you seem to have are the ones from that acting school of yours, and none of them live anywhere near here."

"Sarah's friend came here to visit her family, Mom," Toby spoke up. "She's only going to be around for a little while before going back home." Irene was quiet for a moment, looking between Sarah and Toby, as if expecting to see any sign that they were lying.

"And what might _those_ be," she asked finally, glancing down at Sir Didymus and Theseus.

"Oh, well, I told my friend all about Toby at school," Sarah stated. "She liked hearing about him so much; she brought these toys for him as a present." Irene still looked skeptical, but soon decided to accept their story.

"All right then," she sighed in a long-suffering way. "Hurry and go wash up. Dinner will be on the table very soon."

* * *

A short time later, the bus the group had taken stopped at one of the scheduled stops, allowing Stacey and Hoggle to get off. Daedalus, knowing it would draw unwanted attention to the already conspicuous group if he'd gotten on the bus with the others, had chosen to fly to Wayne's home instead.

After the bus drove off, Stacey and Hoggle walked past the houses in silence, but when they reached Wayne's house, Stacey stopped in her tracks, staring in torment at the one story house she hadn't seen in a long time, complete with the old white ash tree, where Wayne had found her as an infant, standing in the front yard.

"Princess Stacey?" Hoggle looked up at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this," Stacey turned away, looking extremely guilty. "I…I haven't seen Wayne in two years. And the last thing I ever said to him was…that I was spending the night at Sarah's place. I told him that I'd see him tomorrow. But that was the night Sarah and I came to the Underground.

"Wayne was the one who raised me since I was a baby. And I thanked him by completely disappearing from this world. I didn't even say goodbye. I as good as abandoned him, Hoggle. How can I…how can I look him in the eye now?" For a long moment, Hoggle simply looked at his friend before offering his encouragement.

"Stacey, it'll be alright," he assured. "I remember everythin' you told us about Wayne. I don't think he'll be angry with you at all. If anythin', he'll just be happy to see you again." When Stacey didn't show any sign of accepting what he was saying, Hoggle reached out and took her hand, giving it a supporting squeeze.

"It'll be alright," Hoggle repeated. "I'll be right there with you." With these words, Stacey turned to Hoggle with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Hoggle," she sighed. "What would I do without you?" Hoggle returned the smile and continued to hold her hand as they stepped up to the front door. Hesitating only a moment longer, Stacey reached out and knocked, but no one came to answer the door.

"Maybe he's not home?" Hoggle guessed as Stacey tested the door handle and found that the door was locked.

"Maybe," Stacey nodded, slightly crestfallen. Turning away, Stacey crouched down next to a flowerpot that was positioned by the door. Lifting it up, she revealed a small house key taped to the bottom of the flowerpot.

"Wayne always keeps a spare key here," Stacey explained, slipping the key into the lock. "He's been known to forget the key on the kitchen table from time to time." Very slowly, she pushed open the door and hesitantly stepped into the house, motioning for Hoggle to come in after her.

Everything in the house was exactly the same as Stacey remembered it. The framed painting of blue jays still hung over the hall table where a cache pot filled with various odds and ends was positioned, and Wayne's old black umbrella was propped up in the corner by the door, where it always was.

"Two years," Stacey muttered, taking everything in. "He hasn't changed anything in two years. It's like I never left."

"How long do you think it will take before Wayne comes back?" Hoggle asked.

"I don't know," Stacey bit her lip. "But…I wonder…" Without another word, Stacey walked into the door that led to the fully furnished kitchen. Hanging from the refrigerator by a magnet was a monthly calendar which Stacey took a moment to examine. "Yeah, I thought so. It's the first Saturday of the month."

"Is that important?"

"Kind of. That's the day when Wayne goes off to pick up more wood in the next town. He always makes a full day of it, so he probably won't be back until very late tonight.

"Well, I guess that means we'll be on our own for dinner tonight," Stacey smiled down at Hoggle. "Do you have any ideas as to what you'd like?"

"You know that you have a better idea of what kind of food exists in this world," Hoggle pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Stacey chuckled, opening the refrigerator door to see what was inside. "Hmmm, doesn't look like we have much of anything. Just a bunch of condiments, some milk…that expired last week, and a jar of spaghetti sauce…ugh, there's mold growing in this jar! When was the last time Wayne cleaned this thing out?"

"So there's nothing to eat here?" Hoggle glanced into the bare refrigerator.

"I guess not. The only thing that looks remotely edible is this." Reaching into the refrigerator, Stacey pulled out a Coke can, which she promptly opened and began drinking.

"Could I try some of that?" Hoggle asked, looking at the can in curiosity.

"Mmmm," Stacey pursed her lips as she glanced into the can. "Sorry, I just finished it. If you wanted some, you should have said so earlier."

"You…drank it all?" Hoggle gaped. In response, Stacey started beaming down at the dwarf.

"I'm only kidding, Hoggle," she laughed, passing the can over to him. "Did you really think I'd forget about you, my friend?" However, as Hoggle gratefully accepted the drink with a small smile on his face, Stacey grew a bit more serious.

"Well, I don't feel much like going out to the store this late," she thought out loud. "Especially after we just got back. So, it looks like we're going to have to get some take out instead. I wonder if the Papa John's around here is still open for delivery. You interested in trying some pizza and wings, Hoggle?"

"Wings of what?" Hoggle frowned in confusion. Stacey had to force back a laugh, instantly reminding herself that Hoggle still didn't know much about this world.


	5. Settling In

**AN: **This chapter is mostly filler, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Please Read and Review.  


* * *

An hour later, Sarah and Toby joined Robert and Irene at the dinner table, eating the stew Irene had made.

"So, Sarah," Robert began, simply wanting to make conversation. "Irene said you were with a friend this afternoon."

"Yeah, I was," Sarah replied. "She needed my help today, so I had to go down and see what I could do to help. We were planning on meeting tomorrow, too."

"And who is going to watch Toby?" Irene spoke up. "You know my canasta team is meeting tomorrow."

"I'm taking Toby with me, of course," Sarah forced herself not to snap. "My friend likes Toby a lot. She doesn't mind me taking him along."

"Which friend is this, anyway?" Robert asked.

"Stacey," Toby chimed in, grinning widely.

"You mean that girl who stayed over the night you disappeared for three days?" Irene cried, her tone filled with annoyance.

"It wasn't Stacey's fault that happened," Sarah clenched her teeth. She hadn't forgotten how Irene seemed to blame Stacey for that period of time when she'd been missing from this world, back when she'd gone to the Underground to help stop Jareth's reign of cruelty. Ever since that day, Irene hadn't bothered to hide the fact that she was actually glad Stacey had disappeared from Kent.

"Then what _did_ happen?" Irene demanded. "Because one minute that girl is over for the night, and the next you vanish completely!" Instead of replying, Sarah got up from the table, taking her bowl of stew with her.

"I'm eating the rest of my stew in my room, thank you," Sarah announced icily. Ignoring Irene's demands to sit back down, Sarah walked out of the kitchen stiffly. However, she didn't go straight to her room; that had only been an excuse to cover up her attempt at brining Theseus, Sir Didymus and Ludo some dinner.

* * *

At Wayne's house, Hoggle was busy with wiping the tabletop with a damp rag, but he paused to spare a glance at Stacey, who was washing the dinner plates in the kitchen sink. Their dinner of pizza and wings had been very enjoyable for the dwarf. The new tastes had taken him by surprise, but he would have been lying if he said the food didn't taste good. In addition, Stacey had brought out a thin disk-shaped object she'd called a record, which turned out to be something that played music. She had said that the music on the record was sung by a musical duo called 'Simon and Garfunkel', and that she had grown up listening to their music. Stacey had ended up playing the music during dinner, and Hoggle remembered his surprise at hearing that one of the songs was 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', the same song Stacey had taught him shortly after they'd first met.

As they continued to clean up, they listened to the weather report on a radio that had been placed on the kitchen counter. According to the report, a sudden cold front was moving into Kent that night, and there would be a huge thunderstorm starting in a few hours.

"I wonder if Wayne's going to make it home alright," Stacey sighed, her worry evident on her face.

"Stacey, I'm sure he'll be okay," Hoggle assured, pausing in his task of wiping down the tabletop. "If it gets too bad for him out there, he'd probably find an inn somewhere." Daedalus, who had been drinking from his old water dish nearby, hopped up to Stacey's shoulder, where he lightly tugged on a lock of her hair. In response, Stacey stroked the small owl's head with a finger, realizing that he was trying to agree with Hoggle.

"Thanks, you two," Stacey smiled at her friends. "I guess you're right.

"So, Hoggle, would you enjoy a tour of Wayne's place? After all, until this whole mess with the Agnostic's over, it's as good as your place, too."

"I'd like that," Hoggle agreed, smiling back at her. Grinning widely, Stacey began to show Hoggle around the house.

* * *

Across town, Sarah was in the process of clearing out her sock drawer while Sir Didymus stood by her side, watching her work.

"I'm sorry that I can't offer you anything more comfortable than this," Sarah apologized to the fox, placing a spare dishtowel into the improvised bed. "I never played with dolls that much when I was little, so I don't have a doll bed stashed away somewhere."

"I thank ye for your consideration, Lady Sarah," Sir Didymus gave a respectful nod of gratitude. At that moment, a distant rumble of thunder was heard. Instantly, Sir Didymus turned to the window, leaping up onto the windowsill with one jump. It didn't take a second thought for Sarah to know what was on his mind.

"That's right," Sarah winced in guilt. "Ludo's out in Toby's clubhouse right now. That storm's probably going to scare him tonight."

"Lady Sarah," Sir Didymus turned back to her, "I am very grateful you went through the trouble of fashioning me a place to rest my head tonight. But I am afraid that I cannot abandon my brother when he is in need."

"It's okay, Sir Didymus," Sarah smiled, picking him up in her arms. "I understand completely. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that it would lead to too many questions from my dad and stepmother, I would go out to stay with him during this storm, too." After making sure the coast was clear, Sarah carefully snuck back downstairs, being extra careful to not make any noise that would alert her parents. Before long, she reached the back door. Placing Sir Didymus back on the ground, she opened the door wide enough for the small fox to slip through.

"Good night, Didymus," Sarah whispered after him as Sir Didymus headed off to join Ludo in the clubhouse. With a smile, Sarah turned and started to go back upstairs. As she made her way back to her room, she passed by Toby's bedroom door, which had been left open a crack. From inside his bedroom, Sarah could hear Toby laughing about something. Peering in, she saw that Toby was sitting up in bed, dangling a ribbon in front of Theseus, who was batting at it in a cat-like way.

"Toby," Sarah whispered, stepping into the room. "It's late. You better get to sleep before Mother finds out you're still up, okay?"

"Okay, Sarah," Toby replied, immediately switching off the light and lying back onto his pillow. Theseus, calming down instantly, went and curled up at the foot of Toby's bed. After tucking her brother in, Sarah turned and continued going back to her room.

* * *

Hoggle sat against the wall in Stacey's small attic room above Wayne's workshop. Stacey's room was mostly bare, with a storage bed beneath the window, a dresser filled with clothes, and three shelves filled with books and various owl memorabilia lining a wall. The only other thing within the room was an old birdcage suspended from the ceiling, where Daedalus was currently sitting.

At the moment, he was flipping through an old photo album that was filled with pictures of Stacey growing up; Stacey at age eight, dressed as an owl for Halloween, a nine-year-old Stacey proudly holding up a slightly deformed miniature rocking horse, another picture taken when she was ten, and in the middle of a chess match with another student at her school….

"I see you found that photo album Wayne put together." Hoggle started suddenly at the sound of Stacey's voice as she appeared at his side, wearing a sleeveless cotton nightgown. He hadn't even heard her walking up the ladder to her room after her trip to the bathroom.

"I..I didn't mean to snoop…" Hoggle tried to apologize.

"You weren't snooping," Stacey shook her head. "I already told you, Hoggle. I have no secrets from you." However, as soon as she said this, Stacey's smile faded.

"What's wrong?" Hoggle asked in concern, setting the photo album aside.

"It's just…seeing this place again," Stacey spoke quietly, looking around the room. "Wayne kept everything in my old room exactly the same. It's just how I left it, that night I was going to spend the night at Sarah's."

"Were you expecting somethin' else?"

"I don't know. Maybe I was thinking, after two years, Wayne would have had everything packed away somewhere, or would have sold everything and started using this room for extra storage."

"It looks like Wayne really cares about you," Hoggle pointed out.

"Yes, I know," Stacey gave an odd twisted smile. "Just makes me feel even worse for abandoning him the way I did." After a pause, Hoggle reached out to lightly squeeze Stacey's hand in comfort.

"It'll be okay, Stacey," Hoggle assured.

"Yeah," Stacey nodded, still not quite convinced. "Maybe. Anyway, we'd better get to sleep. We'll need to be well rested if we're going to come up with a plan on how to take care of the Agnostic." Nodding in agreement, Hoggle made his way into a corner, where he started to curl up for the night. "Oh, no, Hoggle," Stacey stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're staying in my bed. _I'm_ taking the floor."

"What!?" Hoggle gaped at her. "But…that's not right. It's your bed, so…"

"Yes, and _you're_ my guest and friend," Stacey insisted. "I want you to be comfortable here."

"But.."

"Look, I'm going to sleep on the floor no matter what you do, okay?" Stacey took up a tone of finality. "So you might as well take the bed." Hoggle met Stacey's eyes for a moment, recognizing that she was adamant about this.

"Thank you," Hoggle relented, climbing up into Stacey's storage bed. For a moment, Stacey smiled at him, lightly touching the faint scar on her right shoulder, the one she'd received from the Tarasque on her first night in the Labyrinth, but when Hoggle closed his eyes to go to sleep, Stacey switched off the light before stretching out on the floor for the night.


	6. Nighmares and Reunions

**AN: **Finally! This was actually completed a while ago, but just when I was getting ready to submit it, I accidentally deleted the entire chapter and could not get it back. I had to write the entire chapter again from scratch. Needless to say, it's been a major pain, and it's probably not as good as it was the first time I tried writing it. But now, I can finally post this chapter. Please enjoy, and be sure to review. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

One last thing before the chapter begins: in case it isn't obvious, the paragraphs in italics are Stacey's dream.

* * *

The promised storm raged over the town of Kent, with thunder crashing loudly and lightning flashing across the sky. Within Stacey's room, the sound of raindrops pelting relentlessly on the windowpane proved loud enough to wake Hoggle up. Sitting up, it took the dwarf a few seconds to remember where he was. The moment he remembered, his eyes immediately fell upon the dark shadow he knew was Stacey, asleep on the floor.

At the same moment he glanced down at Stacey's sleeping form, a bolt of lightning illuminated the room, making it possible for Hoggle to make out the look on Stacey's face. Even though it was clear she was still sleeping, her expression was restless and filled with anguish. Immediately, Hoggle realized Stacey was having a nightmare, and he quickly climbed off the storage bed to kneel at her side.

"Stacey?" Hoggle spoke urgently, trying to shake her awake. "Stacey, wake up."

_The sky over the Labyrinth was completely darkened by clouds, making it difficult to tell if it was day or night. The ominous sounds of thunder rang through the air, but not a single drop of rain ever fell. Atop the Castle beyond the Goblin City, Jarerth stood alone, glaring at the dark storm clouds in intense fury. After a moment or two, an unidentifiable form materialized out of the storm clouds. Instantly, Jareth and the indistinct form were completely shrouded in darkness. However, Jareth showed no reaction to the darkness that was now surrounding him, and began to shout out in anger._

_"Agnostic!" he cried, rage filling his every syllable. "You've laid siege to my home and my family, destroying everything that crossed your path, and I will not allow it. I swear to you I will _not_ rest until I see you destroyed as well." In response to Jareth's vow, a low, cruel laugh seemed to come from every possible direction, followed by a voice that was indubitably evil. There was no doubt that this was the voice of the Agnostic._

_"_You_, Goblin King? You do not have the power or the means to stop me. The only one who has that power is the child your precious Susan cares for the most. Now, thanks to you and the fears that fill your mind, I know right where to find her." As the Agnostic completed its statement, a pair of red and yellow eyes pieced through the darkness; eyes more terrible than anyone could ever imagine_.

Stacey sat up in a flash, her scream escaping from her lips before she could stop it.

"Stacey!" Hoggle cried urgently, grasping her arm carefully. "Stacey, it's okay! It was just a nightmare!"

"Hoggle?" Stacey turned to the dwarf in shock, fear-induced sweat coating her forehead.

"You're okay, Stacey," Hoggle repeated, keeping his voice calm for her benefit. "Whatever your nightmare was about, it's all over. You're safe now." Stacey took a moment to try and steady her heavy breathing, but to no avail. Instead, she moved forward and pulled Hoggle into a tight hug. At first, the dwarf was too surprised by the unexpected embrace to do anything, but as his shock wore away, he reached out to pat Stacey's back in comfort.

* * *

In the morning, Stacey slowly made her way to the kitchen with Hoggle following close behind her. As she neared the entrance to the kitchen, however, Stacey stopped and ducked behind the doorframe to peek in cautiously. As she'd suspected, Wayne was sitting alone at the kitchen table, staring morosely at a fresh mug of coffee.

For a long moment, Stacey studied Wayne's face, her guilt growing stronger every second. His appearance had changed noticeably in the past two years. He looked much older now. His blond hair was beginning to turn to a grayish white, and a pair of bifocals was perched on the bridge of his nose. But all of that paled next to the expression on his face. Stacey flinched as she looked away, unable to stand how lost Wayne looked. His face vividly showed how much her disappearance had hurt him.

Wordlessly, Hoggle placed a supporting hand against Stacey's arm. Upon feeling his touch, Stacey immediately met his eyes.

"How could I do this to him?" Stacey whispered. "I abandoned him, Hoggle. He's been completely alone all this time. I didn't even say goodbye."

"I know," Hoggle replied in comfort. "So imagine how happy he'll be to see you now." Stacey took a shaky breath, but still didn't move. "Stacey," Hoggle urged gently. "It'll be all right. He's been waitin' two years to see you. Are you goin' to make him wait any longer?" Hoggle's question seemed to strengthen her resolve, and she stepped out into the kitchen, facing Wayne nervously.

"Wayne?" Stacey spoke softly, announcing her presence. Slowly, Wayne lifted his head, gazing at Stacey with wide eyes. For the longest moment, they stared at one another, but then Stacey stepped up to Wayne's side and dropped to her knees so they'd be at the same height. "Wayne, I'm so sorry," she began. "I know I hurt you when I left, and for that, I am so, so sorry. I know that's not enough, but…" Stacey never got the chance to finish her apology, for Wayne suddenly lurched forward, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Stacey," Wayne barely choked back an emotional sob. "I knew you'd come home one day." Stacey crumbled in a heartbeat and returned the embrace, fresh tears falling down her cheek

"Oh, Wayne," she cried. "I missed you so much."

Out in the other room, Hoggle stood by quietly, listening to the reunion for a minute or two. After a while, he turned and began returning to Wayne's workshop, wanting to give Stacey and Wayne the chance to continue their reunion in private.

* * *

The Williams' family house was mostly deserted. Robert had already left for work and Irene had gone out to meet with her canasta team. Their absence granted Sir Didymus and Theseus with the freedom to watch a program on the family television with no fear of being discovered. As the pair sat in front of the TV screen, visibly fascinated with the moving pictures, Sarah moved about the kitchen, getting ready to leave, pausing only long enough to watch Toby cross the backyard and enter his clubhouse in order to bring Ludo something for breakfast.

Sarah and the others were supposed to meet Stacey, Hoggle and Daedalus at the park in about one hour. Since no one had any idea how long it would take for them to come up with a plan about how to defeat the Agnostic, Sarah felt that it would be a good idea to bring along some sandwiches for lunch.

Just as Sarah finished packing up the sandwiches, the wall-mounted phone rang. Wondering who would be calling now, Sarah promptly answered it.

"Hello?" Sarah greeted slowly.

"Sarah?" Sarah's jaw dropped for just an instant upon hearing Hoggle's voice on the other end.

"Hoggle?" she cried in shock. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Sir Didymus and Theseus looking up in equal surprise. "You can use a phone?"

"Not exactly," Hoggle replied. "Daedalus did most of the work. It's a good thin' he's so familiar with this world.

"Anyway, Sarah, I wanted you to know that Stacey and I can't make the meetin' today."

"Why? Did something happen?" Sarah asked in concern.

"No, not really. It's just that Stacey just saw Wayne again, for the first time since she came to the Underground. I thought that…she might want the chance to catch up with him. I might never have met Wayne myself, but I can tell he means a lot to Stacey, and that she's missed him. And if you saw the look on his face when he saw her today…"

"It's okay, Hoggle," Sarah irrupted. "I understand. Tell Stacey not to worry. We'll postpone our meeting until tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sarah." Hoggle's smile was evident in his tone. "I'm sure Stacey will appreciate it."

* * *

Once the call had ended, Hoggle glanced down at Daedalus in a silent question. The tiny owl clicked his beak and gestured to the phone cradle with his wing. Catching on to the silent instruction, Hoggle hung up the phone.

"So," Hoggle blinked. "That's how…people talk to each other in this world." Daedalus responded with a high whistling cry.

At that moment, Hoggle froze in shock at the sound of footsteps coming closer, indicating that someone was coming into Wayne's workshop. The dwarf only had enough time to duck behind the workbench before the workshop door opened. Fearful of being discovered by Wayne, Hoggle held his breath for a moment, but relaxed instantly when the person entering the workshop spoke.

"Hoggle?" Stacey's voice called in a loud whisper. "Hoggle, it's okay. It's just me."

"I thought Wayne was about to discover me," Hoggle sighed in relief, abandoning his hiding place to sit on an overturned crate.

"Yeah, I figured you would," Stacey nodded, smiling at the dwarf almost instinctively. "Sorry if I scared you. But still, thanks for remembering what I said before. It's probably best if Wayne didn't know you were here. I don't think he'd be able to understand." After a moment, Stacey's smile faded and was replaced by an expression of inner pain and turmoil. "Still, I… I wish there was an easy way to explain to him…when we have to go back. He won't admit it, but…I can tell he's been so lonely after I left. I'm afraid he might think…I'm back for good now. Oh, maybe it was a mistake for me to let him see me again. When we go back home, it'll kill him."

"I know," Hoggle bowed his head in sympathetic understanding. "That's why I called Sarah and told her we weren't going to meet with her today like we planned."

"You _what_?" Stacey's jaw dropped. "Hoggle, why…how…wait, you used a phone?"

"Daedalus showed me how," Hoggle explained. "Believe it or not, he's very good at gettin' points across without speakin'."

"Really?" Stacey gaped at the owl for a second before remembering what she wanted to say. "But Hoggle, why did you tell Sarah we weren't meeting with her today? Did you forget the Agnostic? We came here to come up with a plan to stop it. I'm the Goblin Princess now. It's my responsibility to prevent it from destroying the Labyrinth. I can't just push that responsibility aside for something I want to do."

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke gently, "you have nothin' to feel bad about. You and Wayne haven't seen each other in years. We all understand you need to spend at least one day with him." Stacey shook her head, her eyes still wide in disbelief and indecision

"But…we came here to…" Stacey argued.

"That projective barrier will hold, won't it?" Hoggle pointed out, smiling at her. "As long as it remains standin', Primrose, Lady Berdine, Reynard and Prometheus should be safe. Stacey, just believe me, at least this once. No one thinks any less of you for wantin' to spend time with Wayne. He's your family, and while you do have responsibilities in our world, you also have a responsibility to Wayne." Stacey looked away, the conflict visible on her face. After a full minute of her not saying anything, Hoggle got up and, after a moment's hesitation, gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Stacey, take one day to spend time with Wayne," he urged. "You said yourself that he was lonely with you gone. I know you hate hurtin' him, and he'll enjoy havin' at least this one last time with you. Maybe…you can use today to give him the goodbye you weren't able to give him last time. I'm sure you'd both be happier partin' on a high note this time."

"Hoggle," Stacey's voice shook as a tear slid down her cheek. "I know you might not think so sometimes, but…you're a true friend."

* * *

Wayne moved about the living room cheerfully, cleaning up from breakfast. He felt as if his smile was permanently etched on his face. Stacey had came back home again. After two long years, she had returned to him. All this time, he had clung to the belief that she was still alive and that she'd come back one day. Now she had.

For the tenth time that day, Wayne found himself wondering where Stacey had been for the past two years. However, he made an effort to keep himself from asking her. Ever since he had found Stacey as a baby at the base of the ash tree out front, they had never kept secrets from one another. For that reason, he trusted Stacey to tell him herself when she was up to it.

Until then, Wayne was fully committed to dedicate the entire day to treasure Stacey's return. Picking up the morning paper from the kitchen table, he turned right to the day's movie listings, searching for a movie Stacey would be interested in seeing. Wondering if she'd want to go see Arachnophobia, a new horror-comedy film, he started carrying the paper to Stacey's room. As he reached the door that led to his workshop, however, he froze upon hearing two voices. He had no trouble in recognizing Stacey's voice, but the second voice was rough, gravelly and completely new.

"Stacey," the strange voice was saying, "you have nothin' to feel bad about. You and Wayne haven't seen each other in years. We all understand you need to spend at least one day with him."

"But…we came here to…" Stacey argued.

"That projective barrier will hold, won't it? As long as it remains standin', Primrose, Lady Berdine, Reynard and Prometheus should be safe. Stacey, just believe me, at least this once. No one thinks any less of you for wantin' to spend time with Wayne. He's your family, and while you do have responsibilities in our world, you also have a responsibility to Wayne."

Curiosity finally overpowering him, Wayne quietly pushed the door to his workshop open a tiny crack, just large enough for him to look into his workshop. In doing so, he saw Stacey standing with her back to him. Her attention was focused on a small figure sitting atop an overturned crate. The instant Wayne saw Hoggle, he only just managed to stop his gasp, stumbling backwards in his shock.

How could this be possible? Not here, not now. He came to Kent, Ohio to get away from that world, and all the reminders of it. But now, here in his own home, was a real…. Wayne could not bring himself to even say the world. What was even more shocking was that Stacey clearly had a conscious knowledge of that other world as well. Did that mean…was that where she'd been all this time? Didn't that world ever tire of taking from him? But…if she was back now, did that mean…?

Wayne forced himself to breathe deeply. He didn't know anything yet. Jumping to conclusions like this wouldn't help anyone. Instead, he concentrated solely upon concealing his conflicting emotions with a mask of happiness. For now, he had to focus on the fact that Stacey had come home, and they could spend the entire day together. For now, that was all that mattered. He would enjoy this day with her. For Stacey, he'd be able to set aside all his fears and worries. At least until tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would be able to ask.


	7. Confessions

**AN:** To make up for the LONG wait, I'm giving you all a long chapter. This one reveals Wayne's big secret, and as well as a possibly unexpected return. Please R&R.  


* * *

Hoggle sat quietly on Stacey's old storage bed, simply gazing out the window watching the birds flit around the yard. He managed to tear his eyes away when he heard the sound of Stacey climbing up the ladder to the room.

"Hey," Stacey greeted the moment she saw him, handing him a small paper bag as she joined him on the bed. "I managed to save you a whole wheat bagel from breakfast. I hope you like it."

"Thank you," Hoggle accepted the food gratefully, acknowledging his empty stomach.

"Hoggle?" Stacey began as Hoggle started to eat his breakfast. "I…want to thank you again for yesterday. It was nice spending time with Wayne, and I'm sure he liked it, too."

"Of course," Hoggle smiled. "Wayne's your family. You both needed a day for yourselves."

"Yeah, I guess we did. Still, I suppose we really need to meet with Sarah and the others today. As nice as it is seeing Wayne, we can't pretend that we don't have a job to do here, and that's trying to figure out what to do about the Agnostic."

"I guess you're right," Hoggle agreed. "And…I think we should tell them about that nightmare you had, about Jareth challenging the Agnostic."

"Why?" Stacey gaped. "It…it was just a dream."

"But in the dream, you said the Agnostic mentioned someone who had the power to stop it," Hoggle pointed out. "Maybe…your dream was giving us a hint about how we can beat the Agnostic for good."

"Hmmm. You might be right," Stacey agreed after thinking about it. "All right, we'll see what the others have to say about it.

"Now, um…I guess I'd better go and…tell Wayne that I'm going out for a bit. How about you wait for me outside, by the old ash tree."

"I'll be there," Hoggle nodded before watching Stacey head back down the ladder.

* * *

In the kitchen, Wayne was just finishing up with the breakfast dishes. Upon looking up, he saw Stacey watching him from the doorway.

"Thanks for the bagels, Wayne," Stacey smiled. "They were really good."

"I'm glad you liked them," Wayne returned the smile half-heartedly, forcing himself to not simply blurt out the questions that had plagued his mind since he'd first seen Stacey talking to the dwarf in his workshop. "And it's so good to have you home again."

"It's good to be back," Stacey agreed. However, her smile dropped ever so slightly as she spoke, and Wayne realized that he'd only been able to notice the tiny change because he knew her so well.

"Um…Wayne…," Stacey continued, sounding suddenly nervous and awkward. "I was going to…head out for a little while. I…I was planning on…meeting with some…friends. Is…is that all right?"

"Yes, I…that will be fine," Wayne agreed, turning away so Stacey wouldn't see the look in his eyes. As much as he tried not to, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the last time Stacey had told him she was going to be spending time with someone, back when Sarah had invited her to spend the night. That time, she hadn't come home. "Be sure to have fun, all right?"

"Yeah, I will," Stacey replied. For a full minute, Stacey and Wayne simply stood where they were, neither one moving or saying a word, until Stacey broke the silence.

"Okay. I…I'll see you later then," Stacey timidly waved, backing out of the kitchen. However, just before she stepped out of sight, she turned back around. "Wayne?" Instantly, Wayne turned and finally met her eyes. "I _will_ be back by dinner at the latest, okay?"

"Okay," Wayne agreed, feeling slightly better, seeing the honesty in Stacey's face. "I'll see you by dinner, at the latest." Once again, Stacey gave Wayne a smile, but this time, he was truly able to return it.

* * *

At the Williams' home, Irene was busy with doing the laundry, but as she started transferring the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer, she heard the sounds of someone rummaging around in the kitchen. Momentarily abandoning her task, she stepped into the kitchen in time to see Toby trying to sneak out into the backyard with an entire box of fruit snacks.

"Toby," Irene scolded. "You better not be planning to eat all of those fruit snacks! You just had breakfast an hour ago!"

"No, Mommy," Toby shook his head. "We were gonna share them."

"Share them?" Irene repeated incredulously. "And who's 'we'?" Without waiting for an answer, Irene looked out into the backyard, her eyes falling on Toby's clubhouse. Through the clubhouse window, she could make out Sarah talking with a young blonde girl, both with serious expressions on their faces. It took Irene a few seconds to truly recognize the blonde girl, but the moment she did, her body stiffened.

"Oh, no," Irene shook her head, growing angry. "Absolutely not." With that, Irene stepped outside and crossed the yard, loudly knocking on the clubhouse door. "Sarah, get out here now!" After a few seconds, the door opened and Sarah squeezed out, making an obvious effort to keep the door from opening completely, preventing Irene from seeing too much of the clubhouse interior.

"Yes, Mother?" Sarah spoke with an annoyed frown.

"I would like to know what you are doing out here," Irene replied. "There is a lot of work to do around the house, and I do not appreciate you lying around doing absolutely nothing while I do everything. You have five minutes to say goodbye to any friends you might be hiding in there, and then I expect you and Toby inside the house to give me a hand."

Sarah could barely keep herself from glaring at Irene. Yes, Irene was her stepmother, but she was also an adult now, and therefore, she had no right to order her around like this. What made Sarah even angrier was that she knew exactly why Irene was acting like this. It was glaringly obvious that she'd seen her talking with Stacey and chose to butt in. Sarah was about to call Irene out when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Stacey giving her a quick nod of understanding.

"I'll be right in, Mother," Sarah replied stiffly. Once Irene had gone back inside the house, Sarah turned to Stacey and the others incredulously. "I can't _believe_ her! The only reason why she's making me go inside is because she must have seen _you_, Stacey! She still blames you for me disappearing from my room three years ago. It's ridiculous, because that wasn't your fault."

"Sarah, it's not important," Stacey pointed out. "Maybe you should try seeing things from her perspective. After all, one minute, I'm invited to your house to spend the night, and the next, you just disappear for four whole days. It's only natural that she'd pick me as a scapegoat. All she knew about me was that I was a girl from your school, and that we'd only met that afternoon. Any parent, stepparent or not, would be distrustful after that."

"Yeah, okay," Sarah relented, seeing Stacey's reasoning. "But what about the problem with the Agnostic? If my stepmother keeps trying to prevent me from spending time with you, how are we going to figure out how to defeat it? I mean, that dream you told us about made it clear that _you_ were the one who could stop it, but how are you supposed to do that?"

"Wait, my lady," Sir Didymus spoke up. "What do ye mean by Stacey being able to stop it?"

"Well, in Stacey's dream," Sarah explained, "the Agnostic said that the only one who has the power to stop it is 'the child Susan cared for the most.' What other child would Susan care for other than her own? That means that Stacey's supposed to be the one to do it."

"Me?" Stacey asked, her eyes widening. "But…how?'

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged. "Which is why I'm so mad that we were interrupted before we could figure it out."

"It's okay, Sarah." Hoggle assured her. "We can still think about that for the rest of the day and check up on each other tomorrow." For a brief second, Stacey glanced over at her friend, hearing something in his tone that she couldn't identify, but the sudden sound of Irene shouting for Sarah from inside the house kept her from asking him what was wrong.

"I'm really sorry, everyone," Sarah sighed heavily, backing out of the clubhouse.

"Don't worry about it," Stacey repeated. "We'll try again tomorrow, but it might be better if we meet in the park next time so your stepmother doesn't have a chance to step in."

"Sounds good," Sarah agreed. "And if she asks, I'll just tell her Toby and I are going there for a picnic lunch."

"In the meantime," Stacey turned to the boys once Sarah had left to help Irene around the house, "how would you guys like a tour of Kent?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to let the townsfolk see us," Sir Didymus pointed out. "Lady Sarah said it would lead to too many questions."

"And she was right," Stacey agreed. "But when I was out with Wayne yesterday, I heard that there was a cosplay convention in a nearby town today. We can always just tell people that we were heading there and just stopped in Kent for a bit."

"What cosplay?" Ludo cocked his head in confusion.

"Just some big thing that some people like to do in this world," Stacey explained, holding back a laugh. "Basically, it's a bunch of people dressing up in costumes interacting with each other. Some of the costumes people come up with are really elaborate, so…you guys could fit right in."

* * *

About two hours later, the friends were all resting their feet outside the Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt shop, with the exception of Daedalus who had chosen to stay behind, wisely knowing that the sight of an owl in broad daylight would lead to too many questions. Everyone was admiring the small gifts Stacey had gotten them from a local toy store. Ludo had received a rock-shaped bouncy ball, while Sir Didymus was testing out his child-sized knight set. Meanwhile, Theseus was completely fascinated with a small kaleidoscope and Hoggle was inspecting his plastic heart-shaped key ring with a soft smile on his face.

As they admired their presents, Stacey exited the ice cream shop, carrying four cones and one dish of ice cream.

"So then, seeing as how none of you have ever _had_ ice cream before, I had to guess which flavors you'd like the most," Stacey explained. "First off, Theseus, I heard from Sarah and Toby that you were…quite amazed by the peanut butter sandwich they fed you last night."

"Amazed does not cover it," Sir Didymus shook his head, smiling at the gremlin. "The little vassal went completely crazy, bouncing around the room."

"Anyway," Stacey laughed at Sir Didymus' response, "I figured that you would also enjoy trying the peanut butter parfait flavor."

"CU-CU-CHU!" Theseus squealed in excitement, practically diving face first into the dish of ice cream once Stacey set it down for him. Holding back a second laugh, Stacey went on.

"Ludo, I was going to get you rocky road, but they didn't have any. I had to go with my second guess for you and decided you would enjoy cake batter."

"Thank you," Ludo gave her a wide smile.

"As for you, Sir Didymus, I racked my brains trying to decide what flavor would be most fitting for you. After a while, I realized that only someone who was filled with bravery like you would have no trouble with starting out with funky monkey."

"I'm sure your judgment was sound," Sir Didymus accepted his cone with a respectful nod. Barely fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the fox's formality, Stacey turned and took a seat next to Hoggle, passing him one of the two remaining cones, which was identical to the one she kept.

"Hoggle, I'm sorry to say that none of the flavors they had called out to me when I thought about you, so I got you butter pecan because…well, it's my favorite flavor, and I hoped you would enjoy it as well."

"Thank you, Stacey," Hoggle replied gratefully.

The five friends fell into a silence as they began to enjoy their ice cream, until Ludo, upon finishing his, decided to try out his rock-shaped bouncy ball. Unfortunately, the ball bounced off the pavement at an angle and ended up hitting Sir Didymus' nose.

"OW!" Sir Didymus cried out, rubbing his nose. As Theseus saw his chance to pounce on the bouncy ball and bat it around, just like a cat with a catnip mouse, Sir Didymus, began to admonish Ludo for not warning him before using his toy. From their spot on sidewalk curb, Stacey and Hoggle watched their friends in amusement.

"I never thought I'd ever experience something like this," Stacey sighed to herself.

"Somethin' like what?" Hoggle turned to her.

"Just…_this_. Sitting around and simply enjoying being around other people. Never had a life like that before I met you guys. It feels great. So…thank you for that, Hoggle."

"I didn't do anythin'," Hoggle shook his head.

"Yes, you did, Hoggle," Stacey insisted. "Before I met you, I was alone. I didn't have any friends, apart from Daedalus. I kept telling myself I didn't _want_ friends because I was convinced that I'd just get hurt again. So, I built up a wall around me, and wouldn't let anyone get close to me.

"But then, I came to the Underground with Sarah, and after that incident with the Tarasque; Hoggle, you stayed up through most of the night just to look after me. Up 'til then, only Wayne would have done that. But you did, even though I'd been mean to you, calling you Dwarf and refusing to even use your name. I'd done nothing to earn your concern, but you still were there to help me. I don't think you'll ever know how much that meant to me. On that night, you helped restore my faith in friendship. You made me a better person, Hoggle. For that, I'll _always_ be grateful for you. Thank you, Hoggle." Stunned by her confession, Hoggle looked away until he felt Stacey softly place her hand on her shoulder. At her touch, he looked back, meeting her eyes.

"Hey, girls!" a sudden voice suddenly spoke. "Check _this_ out!" Immediately, Stacey's body stiffened, and a furious look appeared on her face.

"Oh, no," she hissed, slowly turning her head to face the three girls who'd appeared nearby. Phoebe, Quinn, and Rosabel.

"Well, what do you know," Phoebe smirked. "I thought she was gone for good. And look who's back! The parentless freak. Still seeing trolls in your bedroom closet, Stacey?" Clenching her teeth, Stacey's hand closed into a fist, but instead of responding to the taunt, she simply stood back up, keeping her back to the girls who'd once bullied her.

"Come on, guys," Stacey announced, bending down to scoop Theseus up. "Let's go."

"Are ye just going to let those knaves speak to you like that?" Sir Didymus asked in shock as Ludo helped the fox up onto his shoulder. "After all, ye are a prin…"

"Not here, I'm not," Stacey replied in a low voice, shooting him a warning look.

"Well," Quinn spoke up, eying Ludo's massive form. "Looks like ol' Stacey's got herself some equally freaky friends. Hey, Bigfoot! Halloween's over already."

"Ignore them, Ludo," Stacey instructed, reaching out to pat Ludo's arm. "They're not worth it." Without another word, Stacey began to lead her friends away. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough. Refusing to let Stacey off so easily, Rosabel strode forward, reaching out and snatching Hoggle's jewels from his belt.

"Those are mine!" Hoggle cried, spinning around.

"Well, then," Rosabel taunted, taking note of the fact that Stacey had stopped in her tracks and was now glaring at her. "Come and get them, ugly." Hoggle tried to jump up to get his things back from Rosabel, but the moment his feet retuned to the ground, Rosabel stuck her leg out, tripping the dwarf to the ground.

"Oh, have a nice trip, Shorty?" Quinn teased as all three girls burst out laughing.

That did it. Before anyone could react, Stacey had charged forward, landing a fierce punch to Rosabel's face. The force of the punch sent the red-haired girl to the ground, with Hoggle's jewels flying out of her grasp and into Stacey's waiting hand. Without sparing a glance at Rosabel, who was trying to nurse her bloody nose, Stacey knelt down next to Hoggle, carefully helping him up and returning his jewels to him.

"Are you all right, Hoggle?" she spoke tenderly, seemingly checking him for any scrapes or cuts.

"Yeah," Hoggle nodded. "Thank you, Stacey." Once she was sure Hoggle hadn't been harmed, Stacey cast a venomous glare towards Phoebe.

"Your problem is with _me_, you _hag_!" Stacey snarled. "Leave my friends out of this." For a long moment, Stacey and Phoebe glowered at one another, but then Phoebe turned around.

"Come on, girls," she spoke to Rosabel and Quinn. "We've got better things to do than waste our time with these freaks."

"I really hate those three," Stacy muttered as the three girls walked off, with Rosabel holding a tissue to her nose to try and stop the bleeding.

* * *

"You're not serious!" Sarah cried over the phone. "I can't believe they actually did that!"

"It was Phoebe and her harpies, Sarah," Stacey commented. "Are you really _that_ surprised?"

About an hour before dinner, Sarah had finally found the chance to call up Stacey to confirm what Ludo and Sir Didymus had told her about their run-in with Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel that afternoon.

"I guess you have a point," Sarah admitted. "Especially after what Daedalus said they did to you when you were kids. Still, I didn't think you'd run in to them today. Last I heard, they'd all went off to a school on the other side of the country. But I guess they must have came back to visit their parents or something. So…is Hoggle okay? Ludo told me that Rosabel…."

"Yeah, Hoggle's fine," Stacey replied, her face softening as the topic turned away from Phoebe and her friends. "He might have some bruising from being tripped, but it's been a few hours and he's still all right."

"Anyway, Sarah, can you, Toby, and the others still make it to the park tomorrow? Or is your stepmother, Irene, placing you under house arrest?"

"Don't worry, it won't be a problem," Sarah stated confidently. "My dad already said it was fine for me to take Toby to the park tomorrow. We'll all see you, Hoggle and Daedalus at 11."

Once Stacey and Sarah ended their phone call, Stacey turned to Hoggle, who was once again seated on the storage bed.

"Okay, we're all set for tomorrow," she announced. "We'll be meeting the others at the park in the late morning, and we won't leave until we've at least made some progress in deciding what to do about the Agnostic."

"Yeah," Hoggle nodded, unable to meet Stacey's eyes.

"Hoggle? Is something wrong? You've been acting funny every time we mention the Agnostic."

"I…I'm just worried," Hoggle confessed. "I'm worried about what could happen."

"Hey, we're _all_ worried about this," Stacey reminded gently. "That's why we're having these meetings; so we can come up with a plan."

"No," Hoggle shook his head. "I meant…I'm worried about what could happen to _you_. What if Sarah's right, and you're the one who's supposed to stop the Agnostic? How are you goin' to do that? Not even Jareth could stop it. And…if you don't fight it the way you're supposed to, you…you might end up gettin' killed."

"Oh, Hoggle," Stacey sighed, crouching down in front of him so their eyes were level. "How long have you known me? Do you really think I'd go up against the Agnostic if I didn't have a plan and a backup plan?"

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke in barely a whisper. "You're…you're my friend. You might be the princess, but…you're still my friend."

"Yeah," Stacey smiled softly. "And you're mine, too."

"But that's why I can't even think about you fighting against that thing. The Agnostic's taken away so many people from the Underground. I…I don't want you to be next."

"Hoggle," Stacey sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "I promise you, as a friend. Nothing is going to happen to me. Even if Sarah is right about this, I swear to you I'll take the utmost care. Daedalus, can you back me up here?"

When Hoggle and Stacey glanced over at the owl, who had been perched atop the dresser nearby, they were surprised to find that he was not looking at them. Instead, he was staring with wide eyes over at the ladder that led into Stacey's room, which Wayne was currently climbing up.

"Wayne!" Stacey cried, jumping to her feet. Instinctively, Hoggle tried to back away, but Wayne quickly held up his hand.

"Wait," he began, entering the room completely. "It's okay. You don't have to hide. It's just that…it's been a very long time since I've seen an actual dwarf. I never thought I'd ever see one in person again."

"A...again?" Hoggle gaped, immediately catching on to Wayne's words.

"Yes, again," Wayne confirmed, smiling kindly at Hoggle. "Tell me, you're from the Underground, aren't you?"

"Wayne?" Stacey's jaw dropped. "You _know_ about the Underground?"

"I do," Wayne nodded. "I've known about the Underground for years, ever since I was young."

"But how?"

"I told you a long time ago, Stacey," Wayne explained. "You remember how I had a younger brother once? I told you that I lost him, but…maybe it's time I told you _how_ I lost him. I was twelve when it happened. Our father was off at work, and our mother was going out shopping for a few hours. So, I was left in charge of looking after him until she returned. But while our mother was gone…my brother ended up breaking one of my favorite records. Even then, I knew it was just an accident, but…I wasn't in a good mood that day, and when I saw the broken record…I said something I've regretted ever since."

"You said the words, didn't you?" Hoggle concluded, instantly realizing what Wayne was telling them. "You wished the goblins would take him away…"

"Right now," Wayne nodded sadly. "Yes, that's exactly what I'd said."

"That's what happened to Sarah and Toby, two years before they first moved here," Stacey remembered. "Sarah told me that she'd said those same words when she was babysitting Toby when he was still a baby, when he wouldn't stop crying."

"Seeing as how Toby's still around," Wayne stated, "It's obvious Sarah was able to save him. I…I wasn't as fortunate.

"When my brother disappeared, it tore my family apart. And…knowing that I was responsible for us loosing him was more that I could bear. So, when I became old enough, I left my hometown for good and moved here to Kent, wanting to start over and get away from all those memories."

"Wayne, I'm so sorry," Stacey whispered.

"What's done is done," Wayne sighed heavily. "Dwelling on things that cannot be changed won't bring my brother back. Right now, the important thing is what is happening today. Seeing as how you have a dwarf from the Underground here in this room, I take it that that's where you've been all this time. Hasn't it, Stacey?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Wayne," Stacey bowed her head. "I didn't want to lie about it. I just didn't know how to explain."

"I know," Wayne nodded in understanding. "It _is_ almost impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't seen proof of the Underground's existence first hand. I am not mad at you for not telling me about this. After all, there was no way you could have known I already knew about that world. But…that doesn't explain why this dwarf has came into this world."

"My name is Hoggle," Hoggle introduced himself. "And my friends and I have come here so we could come up with a plan to save the Underground."

"There's this thing called the Agnostic," Stacey took over for Hoggle. "It's destroying the entire Underground. We returned to this world to try and figure out how to stop it. There's only a few of us left. Everyone else has already become victims of the Agnostic. If we can't stop it soon, the Underground will die."

For a long moment, Wayne was absolutely quiet, seemingly studying Stacey and Hoggle's faces. Finally he spoke.

"Stacey, why don't you go downstairs for a bit? See if we can make a dinner reservation over at Pufferbelly's for three."

"We're going out to eat?" Stacey asked.

"Yes, I think that would be nice, don't you? After all, it _is_ almost dinnertime, and it's clear the three of us have a lot to talk about. It just makes sense to have the three of us talk over dinner."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Stacey agreed, but instead of going off to make the reservation, she cautiously glanced between Hoggle and Wayne, seemingly unsure about leaving them alone together. Noticing this, Wayne chuckled lightly.

"Oh, don't worry about Hoggle, Stacey," he smiled. "I was just thinking he'll need a change of clothes. After all, his current attire isn't something you normally see on a daily basis, and it might lead to quite a few stares at best. Since he and I are the same height, I'm sure some of mine will fit him."

"Okay," Stacey nodded. Pausing only one second longer to give Hoggle a supportive smile, she turned and climbed down the ladder.

"Well, then," Wayne turned to Hoggle with a warm smile. "It was Hoggle, was it?"

"Yes, Mr. Faber," Hoggle nodded.

"Oh, none of that," Wayne held back a laugh. "You're obviously a very good friend of Stacey's, so it's only natural for you to call me Wayne. I was just wondering if you'd be kind enough to bring me up to speed on what Stacey's been doing for the past few years while we find you something to wear tonight."

"Um…yes, I can do that," Hoggle replied.


	8. Symbiosis

**AN:** And I'm back over after a long break. REALLY sorry about that, but this chapter was difficult for me to write out for some reason. I'm seriously hoping it won't take so long for the next chapter.

* * *

During the hours between dinner and Toby's bedtime, Sarah sat in her room watching a report on the news. Toby, Sir Didymus and Theseus were perched on Sarah's bed, and like Sarah, their concern was etched on their faces as they listened to the newscaster talking about a series of natural disasters that had suddenly sprung up. From the sound of it, a great number of cities all over the world had been greatly affected by floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions, and all within the past week.

"All these disasters," Sarah spoke softly. "It's like…it's the end of the world or something."

"What's happening, Sarah?" Toby asked, the fear evident in his voice.

"I don't know, Toby," Sarah replied, reaching out to gently rub Toby's back in hopes of calming him.

"I do wonder," Sir Didymus thought out loud. "When I was a young squire, my mother and father would tell me about how the Underground was connected to this world. It was an old legend that many parents in the Underground told their children."

"What was the legend?"

"It was said, my lady, that the Underground was born out of the imaginations of those who lived in your world, when humans first began telling stories. For that reason, the Underground drew strength from this world, and in return, the Underground provided the people of this world with what they needed to come up with new ideas, and new stories. It was an eternal cycle, in which neither world could exist without the other."

"And…that would mean," Sarah spoke slowly, realizing what Sir Didymus was saying, "that if one world is in danger, _both_ worlds would be affected. And because the Agnostic's destroying the Underground, our world is being threatened as well."

"That is how it would appear to be," Sir Didymus nodded grimly.

Before anything else could be said, there was a knock at the door, which opened immediately afterward, giving Sir Didymus and Theseus barely enough time to pretend to be stuffed toys again.

"Toby," Irene announced, poking her head though the door. "Bedtime. Let's go."

"Aw, Mom," Toby whined, reluctantly sliding off Sarah's bed. "I'm not tired."

"Don't argue with me," Irene instructed. "Come on."

"Night, Sarah," Toby mumbled, trudging out of the room.

Once Irene had closed the door again, Sarah turned back to Theseus and Sir Didymus.

"Well, then," she stated with conviction. "This means that the situation is even worse than we thought. It's a good thing we're meeting with Stacey, Hoggle and Daedalus tomorrow in the park. As long as the Agnostic is loose in the Underground, neither of our worlds are safe. We have to beat it. To save the Underground, and this world as well."

* * *

The next day, Robert had just finished emptying the dishwasher, replacing the clean dishes with the dirty ones from breakfast, when Irene stepped into the kitchen. It was apparent from the look on her face that she was looking for something

"Robert," she began. "Have you seen Toby this morning? I was going to take him out to Chapel Hill Mall. He needs a new pair of shoes. "

"He went out with Sarah about half an hour ago," Robert replied. "Sarah said she was taking him to Fred Fuller Park for a picnic lunch today.

"You didn't let them go, did you?" Irene suddenly sounded cross.

"What's the problem?" Robert asked, visibly confused by his wife's unexpected annoyance. "Toby's _always_ enjoyed spending time with Sarah, and Sarah hasn't shown any problems with looking after him since Toby was a baby. It's rather nice that they get along so well, especially with their age difference."

"The problem isn't them spending time together," Irene stated impatiently. "I'm more concerned with who they might be meeting up with. Yesterday, I saw Sarah out in Toby's clubhouse and that Stacey girl was with her."

"Stacey?" Robert repeated. "You mean that young girl who spent the night here that one time two years ago?"

"Exactly! The last time that girl came around, Sarah was missing for _days_. And even now, she won't say where she went. And now, Stacey's back. Sarah might be an adult now, and allowed to get involved with whatever that Stacey's doing, but I'm not going to let her drag Toby into whatever she's up to."

"Irene," Robert sighed, "you know very well that Sarah would _never_ put Toby into danger."

"And what, may I ask, does she classify as dangerous?" Irene challenged. "I don't trust Stacey, and I don't want Toby _anywhere_ near her." With that, Irene started heading to the front door.

"Where are you going now?" Robert asked.

"Where else? I'm going to the park to find them. And if I see they're with that girl…." Irene left her statement unfinished, but cast a questioning look over at her husband. "Well? Are you coming, or am I going there by myself?"

* * *

In Fred Fuller Park, along the banks of the swollen stream that flowed through the park, Wayne gazed in wonder at Ludo, Sir Didymus and Theseus as he was introduced to the three creatures. He had announced that morning, as he was eating breakfast with Stacey and Hoggle, that he wanted to come along when they met up with Sarah and the others that day, stating that he wanted to help them come up with a plan of attack against the Agnostic.

"If I wasn't seeing them with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it," Wayne spoke softly, reaching out to stroke Ludo's arm in appreciation before bending down to give Theseus a light scratch behind his ears. "I never thought I'd be so pleased with seeing creatures from the Underground ever again. But now…I don't think I could be happier."

"And it is a pleasure to finally meet ye, Sir Wayne, Sir Didymus greeted with a respectful nod. "Princess Stacey has always spoken highly of ye."

"Hmmm," Wayne turned to the fox with a raised eyebrow. "You must be Sir Didymus. Stacey and Hoggle have told me _all_ about you, too."

As Wayne continued to talk with Sir Didymus and Ludo, Stacey and Hoggle filled Sarah and Toby in on Wayne's past, and how he had really lost his younger brother.

"So, all this time," Sarah turned to the carpenter once Stacey and Hoggle had finished, "you've known about the Underground, too?"

"Yes, that is right," Wayne confirmed. "And even though a part of me will forever associate the Underground with my lost brother, I cannot sit back and do nothing when I know it is in danger. Especially when I see how living there has had such a positive effect on Stacy. That's why I came today, because I want to do what I can to help defeat this Agnostic. After all, if you're going to come up with a plan of attack, you'll need as many brains as possible."

"So, then," Wayne took a seat at the base of a nearby tree, "please tell me everything you know, so…." Wayne's words were cut short by the sound of a short, muffled cry nearby. In unison, everyone turned in the direction of the sound. The moment they saw who had cried out, Sarah leapt to her feet, her eyes wide in surprise.

It was Irene, who was frozen in place with her hands over her mouth, with Robert close behind her. Both of them were staring at Ludo, Hoggle, and the rest of the Underground survivors in tangible shock.

* * *

**AN:** I originally wanted this chapter to be longer, but I'm still having some difficulty with the big confrontation with Sarah and Toby's parents, and I figured my readers were waiting long enough for an update. On the plus side, everything starts happening very quickly from here on in. Hope you're all enjoying so far, and please don't forget to review. Thank you.


	9. Worlds Colliding

**AN:** I hope this is worth the wait. It's also my attempt to paint Irene in a positive light for once. Please Read and review.  


* * *

"What are those things!" Irene cried out, hurrying over to scoop Toby up and tear him away from the others.

"Mother," Sarah spoke urgently, trying desperately to calm her down. "It's okay. They're…"

"I can't believe you, Sarah!" Irene interrupted. "How can you put your brother in danger like this?"

"They're _not_ dangerous," Stacey spoke up, instantly defensive upon hearing Irene insulting her friends. "They would never hurt Toby."

"And you!" Irene rounded on Stacey, showing no indication that she'd heard Sarah speak. "How _dare_ you come near my family again? Why didn't you just stay wherever it was that you went? I'm not going to allow you to lure my children away any more!"

"Excuse me," Wayne stepped in between Irene and Stacey, frowning up at her in disapproval. "I do not approve of what you're implying about Stacey. She is not some delinquent, and she would _never_ do anything to cause harm to Sarah and Toby."

As Irene and Wayne continued to stare at each other, their glares filled with the intention to defend their children, Sarah turned to her father, attempting to plead her case to him.

"Dad, please, hear me out," she began. "These are my friends. And they're here because they need our help. I know it's hard to believe, but…they're from another world."

"What do you mean, another world?" Robert asked, clearly trying to understand.

"There are parallel worlds," Wayne explained, not taking his annoyed stare off Irene. "Different realities, if you will. And traveling between these different realities, while not an everyday occurrence, is quite possible. One of these realities is called the Underground. Think of it as a living fantasy world, where every creature you've ever read about in fairy tales and mythical stories exist. As I understand it, Sarah has already gone to the Underground before on two occasions. I also went there myself, when _I_ was a boy. But right now, the Underground is in danger."

"It's being destroyed by something called the Agnostic," Sarah continued. "If we don't help stop it, the Underground will be destroyed."

"What does that have to do with you?" Irene challenged. "This has nothing to do with us."

"You're wrong!" Sarah shouted, gesturing to Stacey, Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Theseus in turn. "These are my _friends_! If the Underground is destroyed, they'll all _die_! And if that doesn't matter to you, than maybe you should know that our world will be affected, too."

"Sarah, what do you mean?" Robert asked.

"It was on the news, Daddy," Toby replied. "The earthquakes and fires are happening because of the Agnostic."

"Our world is connected to the Underground," Sarah clarified. "Did you watch the news last night? All those disasters that are happening all over the world are being caused because the Underground's being destroyed. We need to stop the Agnostic to save the Underground _and_ our world."

"There's that word again," Irene huffed. "The Agnostic. What is this Agnostic?"

"We don't know," Stacey admitted. "All we can tell is that it's a thing, a presence. If it even has a physical form, no one has ever seen it and been able to tell us about it. There's only a handful of us left, now. We came back to this world with Sarah and Toby to try and come up with a plan to stop it."

"And you still haven't given me a good reason why we should stand aside and let our _children_ risk their lives because of this thing," Irene cried. "Even _if _our world is being affected by something that's happening in this fantasy world of yours, Toby is just a child, and all Sarah does is put on plays."

"Who _else_ is going to do something?" Sarah pointed out. "Just think about it for a second. If anyone else found out about the Underground, what do you think they'll do to it?"

"I think Sarah has a point," Wayne agreed. "As far as I know, she, Toby and I are the only ones from this world who have ever gone to the Underground. While I know it will be practically impossible to test this theory, maybe only those who are _open_ to the possibility of other worlds can go there. Because of that, Toby and Sarah are the only ones who are in the position to help."

"And what guarantee do we have that they'll return safely?" Irene demanded

"I promise you, Mrs. Williams," Stacey replied, "that I will do whatever I can to keep them safe if they come back into the Underground with us. We've lost too many people to the Agnostic already, and I'm not going to sit back and allow it to hurt my friends any more."

"You seriously expect me to trust…" Irene started to argue, but Robert stopped her.

"Irene," Robert spoke up. "That's enough."

"What?" Irene gasped. "Robert, these are our children! You can't _really_ be thinking about _agreeing_ to this, can you?"

"From what I've heard," Robert sighed, "Sarah has gone to this Underground twice before, and we've never had any indication that she'd been hurt there. And…I trust her enough to know that she'd never allow Toby to get into any real danger." Looking away from Irene's stunned expression, Robert fixed Stacey with a serious look. "Do you _promise_ to bring them back home?"

"I have already given you my promise that I'll keep them safe," Stacey pointed out. "And I mean that."

Before another word could be said, a cruel laugh could be heard. Turning, everyone saw Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel standing nearby, smirking at Stacey.

"Now _that's_ funny," Phoebe snickered. "Little Miss Stacey actually thinks she can keep _anyone_ safe."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Stacey snarled, her face contorting in rage.

"Aw, that's not very nice," Stacey," Rosabel retorted. "Then again, it wasn't very nice of you to come back here and leave the rest of your friends behind to fend for themselves, was it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" In spite of her words, Stacey couldn't help but frown. How did Phoebe and the others know about Lady Berdine, baby Reynard, Prometheus and Primrose?

"You hear that?" Quinn laughed. "She still hasn't figured it out yet! Now, really Princess. That's just disappointing."

"What do you mean? Figured _what_ out?" Sarah demanded. Instead of replying, the three girls stepped over to a nearby tree. With a cruel smirk on her face Phoebe placed a single finger on the tree, which slowly began to split into two from the base upward, forming a crude archway.

"What is that?" Irene cried, pointing in shock at the archway. Everyone instantly saw the reason for her alarm. It was perfectly clear that the view through the archway was not Fred Fuller Park. Instead, they all stared in amazement at a barren forest that was covered in snow and ice.

"That…it's the Underground!" Sir Didymus realized, gaping at Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel. "But how can they make a doorway into the Underground? It is not possible."

"It really is a shame, Stacey," Phoebe taunted, turning back to face her. "To think that the reason why you came back here was all for nothing. You see, the moment you returned to this world was the moment you failed."

"Now…now I understand," Daedalus exclaimed, clicking his beak in agitation. "So it's _you_!"

"Daedalus! You're speaking English again!" Hoggle stated, looking over at the owl in surprise.

"It must be because of the doorway into the Underground being opened," Sarah theorized. "But we don't understand, Daedalus. What do you know that…?"

Sarah never got the chance to finish her question. In the blink of an eye, Daedalus took wing and flew right at Phoebe, attacking her face with his talons and beak. In response to the sudden attack, Pheobe stumbled backward for a few seconds before loosing her balance. Acting on instinct, Phoebe reached out to grab Quinn and Rosabel, but she only ended up pulling them down with her. As a result, Daedalus and the three girls all fell through the doorway, with the girls crashing down onto an icy pond. Upon impact, the ice that had covered the pond broke, drenching them with the frigid cold water.

What happened next was almost instantaneous. Before everyone's eyes, Phoebe, Quinn and Rosabel started to disappear from sight. In their place, an eerie dark mist formed over the pond.

"Oh!" Stacey whispered, her jaw dropping. "I recognize that pond now! It's the Pool of Depiction! The pool whose waters can strip anyone of any disguise. But that means…"

"Phoebe and the others were the Agnostic this whole time!" Sarah cried. The moment this was said, a pair of the most evil-looking eyes appeared in the mist, and a blinding flash of light forced everyone to look away. When they were finally able to look back, the tree Phoebe had formed the archway in had returned to normal.

"I don't believe this!" Stacey shouted, rushing forward and banging her fist against the tree in rage. "The whole time….THE WHOLE TIME! The Agnostic was always there, right in front of my face, for all these years! How could I have been so _stupid_?"

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke gently, stepping over to her side. "There's no way you could have known."

"He's right, Stacey," Sarah agreed. "No one could have connected those girls to the Agnostic."

"We're going back," Stacey announced, a hardened glint in her eyes. "Right now. It's personal now. I'm not going to rest until I see this thing destroyed!"

Wordlessly, Sarah took out her medallion in preparation to return to the Underground.

"Sarah," Irene whispered. "Please don't go." For a moment, Sarah was rooted to the spot, completely amazed by the expression on her stepmother's face. There was no trace of the impatience and exasperation Sarah was used to seeing in her face whenever they spoke. Instead, she looked completely lost and scared.

"Mother, I…." Sarah's words were quickly interrupted as Irene continued her plea.

"_Please_, Sarah. This thing you're running after isn't safe. And…how long are your father and I supposed to wait for you and Toby to come home?"

"I…Mother, Dad, I…I know you're scared." Sarah's voice shook with suppressed emotion. "I…I am too. But…if we don't do something, both the Underground _and_ our world will be destroyed. Please understand that…we're not just doing this to help our friends. We're doing this…to protect the two of you as well." For a brief moment, there was absolute silence. What happened next took everyone by surprise. With a few brisk steps, Irene went right up to Sarah and pulled her into a tight hug. Before Sarah could get over the shock of being hugged by her stepmother, Irene had already pulled away to repeat the same gesture with Toby, with Robert soon following her example.

"Please," Irene whispered one last time as she and Robert stepped back again. "Promise us both that you'll return home to us."

"We will," Sarah agreed with a nod, still visibly shaken by Irene's display of affection.

"Sarah," Ludo spoke up. "Time to go."

"Right, Ludo," Sarah nodded quickly, forcing herself to look away from her parents. "Everyone, gather around."

"Just make room for me," Wayne volunteered.

"Wayne?" Stacey said in surprise. "You're coming, too?"

"I said so before, Stacey," Wayne pointed out. "I cannot just sit back knowing the Underground is in danger. If there's any chance I can help, then I'm taking it."

No one else said a word as Sarah held out her medallion to bring them all back to the Underground. The second the group of them had faded from sight, Irene turned and buried her face in Robert's chest, breaking down in sobs instantly.


	10. Betrayal

It was with a flash of light that Sarah, Stacey, Wayne and the others reappeared in the Underground, instantly sinking ankle deep into the frigid snow that still covered everything around them.

"Oh, my," Wayne's eyes widened as he took everything in. "When Stacey and Hoggle told me about how bad things were here, I had no idea it was _this_ bad. It's so cold; I don't think anything could survive for too long without a warm shelter."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah agreed. "So it might be a good idea to check up on…" Sarah's words trailed off with a gasp of horror, staring at something behind them. Upon following her gaze, the others all saw the cottage that had once provided protection for Prometheus, Lady Bernadine, baby Reynard and Primrose had been completely destroyed, with no one in sight.

"NO!" Sir Didymus dashed forward, his voice strained with anguish as he frantically searched through the rubble. "Lady Bernadine! Where are you?"

"I don't understand!" Hoggle cried as Sir Didymus continued to call for his missing family to no avail. "The protective shield Stacey put around the cottage should have held. How could the Agnostic have gotten around it?"

"We were gone too long," Stacey whispered, her face growing even whiter than the snow around her. "That's…the only explanation. I put it up in such a way that the Agnostic could only get through if one of us _allowed_ it to. But...it must not have been permanent enough to sustain itself in my absence. This is all my fault! I should never have left them behind."

"Stacey," Ludo rumbled in a comforting tone, lightly nudging her shoulder with a finger. "Not your fault."

"He's right, Stacey," Sarah agreed. "You did what you could. And…maybe they got out alright before…"

"But you heard what Wayne just said!" Stacey argued. "How long could they survive out here when it's this cold?"

"It might not have been that long," Hoggle pointed out. "After all, we all just saw the Agnostic followed us into your world in disguise. This…might have just happened moments ago."

Before Stacey could give any kind of response, Sir Didymus was heard calling out for them. Moving quickly, everyone hurried forward to find Sir Didymus crouching down beside an unconscious Primrose, who was partially buried under a thin layer of snow.

"It's Primrose!" Hoggle exclaimed, dropping to the female dwarf's side to help her sit up. "Primrose! Wake up, Primrose! It's us! We're back!" After a few tense moments, Primrose gave a soft moan and weakly opened her eyes. She looked around for a second or two, as if she was still out of it. However, once she focused on Hoggle's face, she snapped out of it, throwing her arms around his neck with a cry of relief.

"Oh, Hoggle!" she cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You came back! I hoped you would."

"What happened?" Sarah asked, crouching down to speak to the dwarf.

"I…I don't know," Primrose chocked out between sobs. "All I remember is the Agnostic attacking the cottage. The whole place was shaking, and then the roof caved in. I can't remember anything else. I have no idea where the others are." Primrose could not continue on and continued to sob, burying her face into Hoggle's shoulder, neither of them noticing the conflicted look on Stacey's face as she watched the two dwarfs.

"We…we should probably keep looking," Stacey suggested after a few seconds. "Maybe…maybe Primrose isn't the only one lying unconscious." Taking Stacey's advice, everyone stepped away to continue searching for Prometheus, Lady Bernadine, and Reynard, leaving Hoggle and Primrose alone for a while.

"It's okay, Primrose, Hoggle assured her after a moment, rubbing her back in hopes of lessening her tears. "We'll find the others, soon."

"Hoggle," Primrose sniffed. "I…I'm just happy you came back."

As soon as Primrose said this, her expression shifted from misery to scorn, but since her face was still buried in Hoggle's shoulder, he did not notice this. Moving slowly to avoid alerting Hoggle to what she was doing, she stuck her hand into the snow beside them, unearthing a small dagger that had been buried there. Stealthily, Primrose maneuvered the dagger until it was poised to strike. However, just as her arm stiffened in preparation…..

"HOGGLE!" In a flash, Primrose was grabbed from behind and thrown aside. Hoggle remained frozen, staring in shock and confusion as Stacey appeared beside him, glaring down at Primrose, the dagger still in her grasp.

"What's going on?" Hoggle asked, looking between them in wide-eyed confusion.

"Ask _her_!" Stacey shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Primrose. "I was just starting to look for the others, but then I realized I should make sure you two were safe first. After all, what would happen if the Agnostic came along while you were standing here unprotected? Imagine my surprise when I see you, Primrose, starting to stab Hoggle with _a knife_?" With these words, Stacey angrily kicked out, showering the female dwarf with the snow. "Is that how you repay us? We _trusted_ you, Primrose! We let you into our circle, and left you with Prometheus and Sir Didymus' family! And all this time, you were only going to kill one of us? Is that how the Agnostic got past the protective barrier I put up before leaving the Underground? You let it in, didn't you?"

"Primrose?" Hoggle whispered, his voice shaking with disbelief. "That…that's not true, is it?" After a brief moment of silence, Primrose's expression shifted into a cruel smile.

"I'm a bit disappointed it took you idiots so long," she taunted. "Shouldn't it have aroused a bit of suspicion that the Agnostic's hold began to take hold only a few days after I appeared in the Goblin City?"

"So you _were_ the Agnostic's spy," Stacey concluded.

"You are far too trusting, Princess," Primrose jeered. "Letting your guard down with someone you'd barely even met. You really _are_ a hopeless leader. Maybe Jareth knew what he was doing when you threw you away to live with the carpenter." An enraged cry slipped from Stacey's throat as she fell for the taunt, lunging forward. However, in her anger, she completely forgot about the fact that Primrose was still holding the dagger until it slashed along her arm. With a grunt of pain, Stacey dropped to her knees, clutching the wound as Primrose went off running.

"Stacey," Hoggle spoke with concern, moving to her side to try and look at her injury. "Are you…?"

"Don't worry about it," Stacey insisted, gritting her teeth as she wiped away the small amount of blood. "It's not that serious. You should worry about your wounds, Hoggle."

"My wounds? Stacey, I wasn't the one who was cut," Hoggle pointed out. Slowly, Stacey fixed him with a sympathetic glance.

"I wasn't talking about _physical_ wounds, Hoggle," she stated.

"There are many wounds that need treating," a voice spoke nearby.

"Daedalus!" Hoggle and Stacey spoke in unison, turning to the owl who had appeared nearby.

"You're okay!"

"How'd you escape the Agnostic!" You fell through the doorway with it, and we all thought you were…"

"I almost was," Daedalus admitted. "But…an old friend stepped in at the last minute and helped me get away."

"What friend?" Stacey asked in curiosity.

"I think it's better if you see for yourself," Daedalus replied. "He's waiting for us all to join him in a hidden grotto nearby."

"Grotto? What grotto?"

"It's a very old cave that's located at the base of the hill near the Border Garden," Daedalus explained. "My father discovered it when I was just a fledgling."

"If you knew the grotto was there, why didn't you suggest it when we were tryin' to find a place to stay sheltered from the Agnostic when all this started?" Hoggle asked.

"Because the grotto wouldn't have provided a comfortable place for anyone," Daedalus answered. "There was no telling how long we would have to remain sheltered away, and the grotto would not have been suitable for a long-term hiding place."

"I guess that makes sense," Stacey decided. "So, where exactly is this grotto?"

"At the base of the hill," Daedalus offered. "Just find the obelisk with the labyrinth symbol etched into the side, and press it. The entrance will open up for you instantly. I'd take you there myself, but it would be best if I went to find the others."

"Why can't we go find them, too?" Hoggle asked.

"Because it's obvious Primrose wasn't just running to get away," Daedalus reasoned. "She'll be off to fetch the Agnostic. And if it finds you defenseless, Stacey, you're as good as dead. Besides…. My friend will want to see you as soon as he can."

"Okay, but be quick, Daedalus" Stacey insisted. "If you're not back with Wayne, Sarah and the others in five minutes, I will head back out to find you myself."

"I understand," Daedalus nodded before flying off. Once he was gone, Stacey and Hoggle made off for the spot Daedalus had indicated in silence. Before long, they reached the base of the hill and began to search the obelisks. It was Hoggle who located the labyrinth symbol.

"Over here," he called to Stacey, pushing the symbol as he spoke. Just as Daedalus had said, an opening appeared in the hillside almost magically. Exchanging a glance, the pair hesitantly stepped into the grotto. The moment they set foot inside, they saw someone was waiting for them, sitting against the stone wall with his knees folded up to his chest. Immediately, he raised his head to look up at them, the crackling flames from a crude fire pit embedded in the grotto floor casting its light across his face. Instantly, Stacey halted, rage filling her eyes as she recognized the figure sitting before them.

"YOU!" she shrieked, glaring in anger into the tired eyes of Jareth.

* * *

**AN:** So, be honest. How many people are still reading this story? I'm seriously hoping I'm not loosing a lot of readers due to how infrequently I update this story. For those of you who I haven't lost, please let me know what you think so far, and how you feel about Primrose's betrayal and Jareth's reintroduction. I can't wait to hear from you.


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